Rotatable brush



March 25, 1958 o. HOFFMAN ROTAIABLEI BRUSH Filed Feb. 13, 1956 INVENTORHOFFMAN OSCAR ATTORNEY ktr United States Patent ROTATABLE BRUSH OscarHoffman, Hollywood, Calif. Application February 13, 1956, Serial No.565,187

2 Claims. (Cl. 15--25) This invention relates to an improved rotatablebrush and has for one of its principal objects the provision of a deviceof the class described which is particularly adapted for brushing hairby barbers or similar professional operators. 7

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide a brushforthe hair and scalp, which can be manually rotated by the barber or otherprofessional operator or by the user if so desired and which willprovide a greater ease of handling and manipulating the hair of thesubject for various purposes, including new types of hairdo or otherarrangements.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a rotatablebrush for the hair or for other purposes, which includes a system ofgears whereby the speed of rotation of the same is increased to a ratherconsiderable extent for better operating results.

Yet another object is to provide a rotatable brush construction whichwill be easily cleaned and of such character as to make it available fordisassembling and sterilization with little expenditure of time andlabor.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and followingspecification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illustrated in the drawings andhereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the improved rotatable brush ofthis invention showing internal construction.

Figure 2 is an end view of the brush, looking from the line 22 of Figure1, parts being broken away to show interior construction, and this viewincludes a section line upon which the showing of Figure l is based.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking inthe direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a section, slightly enlarged, on the line 44 of Figure 1,looking in the direction indicated.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral 19 indicates generally the case or housing of theimproved rotatable brush of this invention. This is preferably composedof some plastic or it may be of metal, and while somewhat cylindrical inshape, is gradually restricted towards its middle portion as shown, soas to more nearly conform to the outlines of a human head when used withexterior bristles attached. The bristles are indicated at 12 and can befitted into the case in any suitable or obvious manner.

A plate 14 is fitted into one end of the case 10 in such a manner as toprovide a free running fit, and a similar plate 16 is likewise fittedinto the other end of the case It).

An operating handle 18, mounted on a shaft or the like 20, is attachedto the outer face of the plate 14, adjacent its periphery; and anotherhandle 22, which is adapted to be held more :or less stationary when thebrush is used, is attached to the plate 16 at the center thereof.

The plate 14 includes a central internal boss 24 having a square openingtherein, into which is fitted the cor- 2,827,646 Patented Mar. .25, 1958 respondingly squared end 26 of a shaft 28. This shaft passeslongitudinally through the center of the casing 10 and extends through acorresponding central longitudinal opening in the handle 22.

A machine screw, or the like 30, is adapted to be removably fitted intoa correspondingly threaded opening in the square end 26 of the shaft 28,and when this is in position, it securely holds the plate 14 onto theshaft 28 and also serves to hold the handle 22 on the outer end of theshaft, this fastening construction including another screw at that end,which is indicated by the reference numeral 32.

The handle 22 is interiorly screw-threaded at its inner end and isaccordingly fastened onto a similarly screwthreaded external boss 34,which is integral with the plate 16.

As best shown in Figure l, a gear 36 is fastened onto the shaft 28 bymeans of a pin 38, and this gear is inside the case 19 but adjacent theplate 16 at the left hand end.

A stub shaft 4%, which may be a shouldered screw, is

fitted into an opening 42 in the plate 16, and a composite two-step gear44 is rotatably mounted on this stub shaft and its smaller section is inmesh with the gear 36.

The larger section of this composite gear 44 is in mesh with a two-stepgear 45, which is rotatably positioned on the shaft 28 between the gear36 and an internal integral boss 47, which forms part of the externalboss 44. The larger portion of this two-step gear 45 is in mesh with asimilar two-step gear 49, which is mounted for free rotatlon on the stubshaft 49 and behind the gear 44. The larger section of this compositegear 49 is in mesh with an internal gear 46 which is fastened by meansof an adapter or the like 43 to the end of the case 10 and inside thesame. This fastening preferably includes three or more pins 54) passingthrough openings in the adapter 48, and into correspondingly alignedopenings in internal ribs 52, which are integral with the case 10 andspaced at equi-distant intervals about the periphery thereof, as bestshown in Figures 2 and 3. All the gears are stock gears.

In operation the handle 22 is grasped by one hand of the operator andthe handle 18 grasped by the other hand, and this handle 18 rotatedabout the shaft 28 as a center. Rotation of the handle 13 and its plate14 will impart a similar movement to the shaft 255 and this will, alongwith its plate 16, correspondingly tum freely in the handie 22, which isheld stationary. However, the gear 36, being fixed to the shaft 28, willrotate accordingly and will turn the gear 44 about the stub shaft 40.Rotation of the gear 44 will accordingly cause a rotation of the gears45 and 49 and the internal gear 46, which, being fixed by way of theadapter 48 to the case 10, will cause a corresponding rotation of thecase and the bristles.

The gear assembly is so designed that an increase of speed ofapproximately three to one is imparted to the brush itself, whereby amuch better action results and a great deal of time saved.

For cleaning purposes the screw or bolt 3% is removed, allowing theshaft 28 to be pulled away from the assembly, at that end whereupon thehandle 22 with its attached plate 16, the shaft 23 and its gearassemblage can be readily removed. The plate 14 with its handle 18 willalso come away from that end of the cylinder or case 10, whereupon thecase with the bristles can be thoroughly cleansed and sterilized withlittle or no difiiculty.

The handle and plate assembly 14-18 is likewise susceptible of readycleaning and sterilizing, and the gears 36, 44, 45 and 49 can becomposed of material which will withstand sterilizing either by heat orchemicals, and which require little or no lubrication. After cleaningand sterilizing the apparatus can be very readily re-assembled forfurther and future use.

It will be evident that herein is provided an improved type of rotatablehair brush, which is peculiarly adapted for modern barbering and hairdressing work, in that it provides means for brushing and dressing thehair for I up-to-date styling with efiicieney and despatch, while at thesame time presenting an apparatus which will meet the approval of,;allsanitary authorities and inspectors.

Iam aware that many changes may be madeand numerous details ofconstruction varied throughout a wide rangewithout departing from theprinciples of this invention, and I therefore do not propose limitingthe patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the priorart. a

I: clairn'as my invention:

1. A rotatable brush comprising a'casing of somewhat cylindrical shape,a plurality of bristles mounted in the exterior surface of the casing,end-plates fer the casing, a'handle positioned in each end-plate,thehandle for one end-plate being mounted centrally thereof, the handlefor the other end-plate being eccentrically mounted, means for fasteningthe end-plates in the cylinder said end-plates beingfreely rotatableWith respect to the casing, a central longitudinal shaft removablyconnecting the end-plates, said shaft fixed in said one of the platesand rotatable with respect to the other plate, and a system of gearsconnecting the shaft, 'said one end-plate and the casing for increasingthe speed of rotation of the casing when the eccentrically mountedhandle is employed to rotate its'endplate.

two gears thereon, both being rotatable with respect there- 7 to and inmesh with the gears on the main shaft, the adjacent end of the casinghaving an internal gear fixed therein, said internal gear being in meshwith one of the gears on the stub shaft.

References Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS481,264 Miller Aug. 23, 1892 7 528,044 Tintore Oct. 23, 1894 541,065Busby June 18, 1895 1,438,443 Brunner et al. Dec. 12, 1922 1,448,630Lewis Mar. 13, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS V 3,083 Great Britain Feb. 29, 188862,896

Germany June 23, 1892 2. A device as described in claim 1, wherein thereare

